It’s Part 3 of our four-part series examining the results of our ITALIAN IDENTITY 2020 SURVEY, our exploration into the hearts and minds of Italian Americans in the 21st Century.

With results drawn from more than 1,600 respondents from around the USA, this episode takes us into the souls of Italian America, to understand what respondents felt were the most important touchstones of the modern Italian American experience, how we see the difference between Italian and Italian American food, how they felt about Italian regional differences in modern Italian American life, who still believes in the “malocchio,” and whether or not we can use the term “Medeegan” without offending our Anglo-Saxon countrymen.

Then we will explore the results relating to Italian American religious affiliations and attitudes, digging deep into the historical and cultural roots of Italian Catholicism and how it has become such a distinct part of secular Italian American identity, and what impact the dual identity of Church and State in Italian history has had on who we are today.

We’ll then assess the frequency of Italian American travel to Italy which, of course, inspires reflections about our own first visits to the Madre Patria — one of many personal recollections and wanderings inspired by these fascinating results.

For those who are interested in following up on these episodes by exploring the results on paper, we’ve decided to hold off on releasing them piece by piece in favor of dropping an entire report when the final episode airs… so if you haven’t already, head over to our Facebook page and follow us now to be sure you don’t miss the release!

If YOU are a proud Italian American who wants to understand a more personal side of your community, you won’t want to miss this episode!